After The Confession: Itsuki
by mediaocrity4
Summary: A series of events between Fuutarou's confession and his inevitable wedding. This one revolves around the possibility of Itsuki being the bride (I'll do similar fics for all the other girls)
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I think it's a shame there's a lack of quality Quintessential Quintuplet fanfics. So, I'll just do it myself. So, this series will be one-shots. I'll do a fic for each girl writing cute events between Fuutarou's hypothetical confession and the inevitable wedding.**

Chapter 1: Itsuki Confession

"What?" Itsuki couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why her? Why now?

"Ever since graduation...no before that...ever since our final year started I've been thinking about romance." Fuutarou explained as he nervously gripped a lock of his hair. "And…I love you."

"But what about…." Itsuki wanted to argue but she also didn't. She looked to her sisters for guidance. Four nigh-identical girls each with a gambit of emotions on their face. Ichika hid behind a fake smile. Nino was more exasperated. Miku's face was unreadable. And Yotsuba was looking at the floor and starting to ease herself out of the room.

"I love all of you." Fuutarou said. "I want to be a part of your family, and I don't want to come between you and your sisters."

"I..I can't lie." Itsuki said. "My heart is fluttering." Fluttering was doing it a disservice. She felt like her heart was going to fly out her throat. "But why me and not them. Surely, one of them has put in more effort."

"I don't know." Fuutarou said. "You put in the right effort." He stepped forward. "Rena." At that note Yotsuba bolted out the door.

"Yotsuba!" Itsuki shouted as she chased after her. Nino stopped her and Ichika went to chase after Yotsuba herself. She looked back at Fuutarou. His face didn't have an ounce of confusion on it. In its place was frustrated acceptance.

"I should have talked to her before." Fuutarou said.

"I can't." Itsuki said. "As much as I want to be selfish for once I can't under these circumstances." Her hands were shaking. "Because I'm…."

"Rena, but you're not the one I met back then." Fuutarou guessed. "I suspected as much. You are Quintuplets afterall."

"You knew?" Itsuki said as she faced Fuutarou. "You knew!"

"Itsuki, my feelings are my own. You and Yotsuba both taught me that the past isn't as important as the future we can make."

"I guess." Itsuki sighed as she looked to the door. Yotsuba had done so much to suppress her feelings. But no amount of suppression can change your heart. This day was inevitable. Their feelings had reached Fuutarou's heart. They all loved him, but there could only be one winner. All they could do was keep their head up and be happy for whoever Fuutarou picks. "I'm not going to reject you. But we need time to think."

"I understand. This is a big deal." Fuutarou said, making Itsuki's heart throb in excitement. That right there was why she loved him. He could be stubborn, self-centered and arrogant. But he really cared about people. He cared about her and all her sisters. And over the years, Itsuki had fallen in love with that side of him as well as his serious side. But did he know all this time? Probably. Why else would he ask her out so suddenly?

"Don't think for too long though." Nino finally spoke up. "You have a bad habit of overthinking things."

It was true. It's one of the reasons she struggled on tests. It was also why she had kissed Fuutarou back at the bell before their final year started. Wait, did he know about that too? Did he know that that was her testing her own feelings by acting impulsively for once?

He couldn't at least wait for the two of them to be alone? Guess it was too much to ask for given how the other girls had been behaving all year. And it's probably for the best that they let the other girls know right away. It was just tactless and insensitive to not wait for a definite answer before letting the others know. As happy as Itsuki was, guilt over Yotsuba's role in all this had infected her. She, and possibly Ichika, were the only ones who knew about back then.

"Anyway, Fuu-Kun, shouldn't you get going?" Nino said.

"I'm fine with him staying as long as he wants." Miku said.

"Any other day, I'd agree." Nino stepped in front of Fuutarou and crossed her arms. "We have things to talk about, and when Ichika brings Yotsuba back, you being here might make things worse."

"Um…" Fuutarou started but Nino began pushing him out.

"Come on, give us some alone time. I'm sure Raiha will have dinner ready by the time you get home." She pushed him out of the apartment and shut the door on him. "You." She shot daggers over at Itsuki sending a shiver down her spine. "You have some nerve."

"I didn't tell him to confess like this!" Itsuki defended, putting her hands up as Nino stormed over right next to her.

"Nino." Miku raised her hand to interrupt.

"I never suspected you'd be the deadliest rival yet. Damn it! Why you."

"I don't know." Itsuki said. "But..."

"You lied to me." Nino huffed as she turned her back on Nino.

"Don't be upset." Miku said. "You promised…"

"I know." Nino sighed. "But it doesn't make it less infuriating. How was I supposed to prepare for that?"

"I suspected." Miku said.

"Well aren't you smart!" Nino said. "What I don't get is Yotsuba. What was that about?"

"It's a long story. Do you remember that trip to Kyoto a few years ago?" Itsuki asked.

"Yeah." Nino said and then a moment later she remembered. "I…" Nino had suspected that the blonde boy in that Fuutarou was actually him. And she knew she had recognized him. He was the one Yotsuba had met back then. "Then Yotsuba...all this time ...why didn't she say anything?"

"Guilt." Miku understood very well. Guilt is what motivated much of Yotsuba's life.

"It's just something she's going to have to grow out of." Itsuki said. "Fuutarou already knew and he chose me anyway, which means that there was no lingering feelings for Yotsuba from back then."

"And you knew?" Nino asked.

"Fuutarou told me about his experience. I suspected Yotsuba and she confirmed it. Then when you and I ran off, we plotted to get him to move on. And we basically dumped him."

"Wait." A sign of recognition crossed her face. "That was you!" Amazing how one confession could make so many odd events click together and make sense. It must have been fate. A series of decisions all leading to this moment. If that wasn't destiny, then there was no such thing.

"So what are going to do now?" Miku asked.

"I'm going to go on a date with Uesugi-Kun. I'm going to see if I'm really in love with him and he's really in love with me." Itsuki was already formulating a plan. This was not something she could take lightly. Her future, Fuutarou's future and the future of her family was on the line. There were two things all the Nakano sisters could agree on, they all loved Fuutarou and they'd do whatever it took to keep each other together. One way or another, Fuutarou was family, and making sure these feelings were genuine was the only way to keep it that way.

**AN: First time I'm writing these characters and It's probably the biggest challenge. A future with Itsuki and Fuutarou is honestly a long shot. But I love her, so I'm starting on her side of things first.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Just to let you know, after this chapter I might go ahead and start on the Yotsuba fic and then just start bouncing back and forth between all of them depending on who I feel like writing. Either way, enjoy.**

Chapter 2: Itsuki's Ploy

Itsuki held the hat Yotsuba had given her all that time ago. She stood stoically in front of her sister's room. Yotsuba had insisted that she was fine and getting over it. And while none of the sisters had heard cries coming from the girl's room, what little they had seen of her wasn't exactly joyous. But if Itsuki was going to go through with this, she needed her.

"Yotsuba." Itsuki finally steeled her nerves. There was no answer when she called. Maybe she had gone out when Itsuki wasn't paying attention. "Yotsuba, it's me." She started knocking.

"It's unlocked." She heard Yotsuba's voice from the other side of the door. Itsuki eased it open. The room was dark. Yotsuba was curled up in her pajamas. Headphones covered her ears. A controller laid in her hand. None of that was out of the ordinary though. The only peculiar thing was that she wasn't wearing her ribbon.

"We need to talk." Itsuki said.

"About what?" Yotsuba kept playing her game.

"You know what." Itsuki said as she walked over to the TV and switched it off.

"Hey!" Yotsuba protested. Itsuki shot her a concerned glare. Yotsuba submitted to Itsuki's motherly side and slid her headphones off.

"I'm sorry." Itsuki said.

"There's nothing to apologize for." Yotsuba said. "You warned me. You told me that if I didn't try making myself happy, nobody would. And you were right. And I'm glad you were right. I don't deserve him. Not after the way I treated all of you."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Itsuki sat next to Yotsuba. "I always looked up to you. I wanted to follow you wherever you go. You were always different than the rest of us."

"I don't deserve to be the special one." Yotsuba said as she curled up. "I'm glad it was you though." She forced a smile. "You bickered with Uesugi-San, but you had good reasons. I might have changed him all those years ago but you're the one who took what I created and made him into what he is today."

"We all did." Itsuki said. "Uesugi-Kun, I'm going to surprise him at his house tomorrow." Itsuki put on the hat she had been holding. "We're all entitled to our happiness. Prove to me that you and Uesugi-Kun have both moved on from the past."

"What do you have in mind?" Yotsuba asked.

Fuutarou was on his way home from work. It had been a long shift but it was beginning to pay off. His family's debts were nearly gone. And with how many scholarships he was getting to attend university, paying his way through wouldn't be a problem.

But that's not what was on his mind. He continued to think about the girls. Most of his thoughts dwelled on Itsuki, but that's not to say he didn't spend plenty of time thinking of the other four as well. He wondered if they really would still get along if he dated one of them. He had been confident. That's why he confessed to Itsuki in the open the way he did. He would have remained hesitant if there was any thought that he might split the family up. But Yotsuba's reaction had been a bit more than he predicted.

"You've moved on Fuutarou." He told himself. "She will too." Up until now, Yotsuba had never had a real reason to move on. Rena-no Itsuki- had forced Fuutarou's hand. She made him let go of the past to better see the future, and accept himself, and realize that he had already fulfilled his promise. But if it was Yotsuba's idea….

He shook the thought from his head. Perspectives change. Perhaps Yotsuba thought she had been doing him a favor only to regret it later on. Who knows? Girls are complicated and more trouble than they're worth. Except….

"You've made quite a change ...who made you that way is all too obvious." Takeda's words echoed in his mind. He had been referring to the sisters as a whole, but there wasn't a doubt in his mind that it was Itsuki. She's the one who instigated his initial conflicts with the sisters. She had been the one testing him. They all had their issues, but Itsuki's were the ones that made Fuutarou who he is today.

"I think he's back!" Raiha's voice came through the door. That was strange, she usually didn't have company over. Maybe it was Itsuki! His heart skipped a beat, home visits from the fifth sister were common. She and Raiha always had a good relationship. Just another reason Fuutarou chose her instead of Ichika, Nino, Miku or….well Yotsuba had a good relationship with her as well. But the fourth sister wasn't nearly as close to Raiha as Itsuki was.

"Welcome back, Uesugi Fuutarou-Kun." Five voices said in unison. They were all here and they were all….

"Five...Renas?" Fuutarou instantly knew the name of the game. The Quintuplet Game, Itsuki was testing him one last time.

"Well?" The First Rena said as Fuutarou closed the door behind him. "Aren't you going to ask why we're here?"

"No need." Fuutarou said with a smile. "I'm not the same stupid man you met over a year ago." He looked across the line of Renas.

"Love." The Third Rena stated.

"If it was just one of you, it'd be easier." Fuutarou said as he concentrated. "But I know you're trying to deceive me." He looked at the Fourth Rena in the row. "And some of you are excellent actors." He looked at the first one. "I want to hear all of you say my name. I'm sure if you do that, I'll eliminate some of you."

"Fuutarou-Kun." The First Rena said. There was something genuine about her tone. She must either be Ichika-using her normal way of addressing him, Miku-the best at this game, or Yotsuba-who had called him that back when they first met in Kyoto.

"Fuutarou-Kun." The second had a slight hic in her voice. She was ready, too ready and eager. Fuutarou had a good idea but waited to hear the others.

"Fuutarou-Kun." The voice was only slightly disguised. If they did this a few months earlier, Fuutarou would have instantly known it must be either Itsuki or Yotsuba.

"Fuutarou-Kun." He noticed the uu-sound in his name being dragged just a hair's breath longer. It could mean any number of things. But the tightness of her smile betrayed her true identity.

"Fuutarou-Kun." The Fifth Rena would have been the easiest to guess. She made a single cosmetic mistake. Slightly thicker eyelashes that he was all too used to seeing.

The first two Renas were the most difficult. One of them must have been Yotsuba. Other times when they played this game Yotsuba eliminated herself just by talking. But he kept in mind that, in a way, they were all Yotsuba now, but not the Yotsuba of the present.

"I've got it." Fuutarou said as he walked up to the first Rena. "You're Ichika." He said as he removed her hat and whig.

"Wow Fuutarou-Kun, I thought I'd be one of the more difficult ones." She said.

"You were." Fuutarou said. "You've got a good career ahead of you. Don't let anyone get in the way of your dreams." He walked over to the fifth Rena. "Nino, your eyelashes are a little thicker."

"How could you tell!" Nino shouted. "We even measured them!"

"There's only so much you can do. Honestly, the fact we've worked together for so long makes this harder for you than anyone."

"Damn." Nino said. "I'm glad you got it, but if the flaw was that obvious why even try with this game?"

"Because you love your sisters." Fuutarou said. "So much so that as much as you might feel fondly of me, you'd never accept someone who would mistake you for one of your sisters or vice versa. On that, I'm finally fulfilling my promise to your grandfather." He stepped towards the fourth one. "It's not the first time I saw through your disguise, Miku."

"I knew you would get it." Miku said as she removed the hat. "Fuutarou isn't the kind of person to take things lightly."

"Neither are you." He said. "You always were the best student. There's nothing I could teach you that you didn't learn rather quickly. Just, keep going, never stop learning and growing. You'll grow past whatever heartache my actions have caused in no time."

"I'm already learning to accept my role." She looked at Nino. "It's the least I can do after how everyone helped me."

"Which just leaves you two." Fuutarou said. He reached for the white ribbon that wrapped around the fourth Rena's hat. "We've all changed. We're all special. Though, there is no such thing as one person being inherently more special than another. It's all in the eye of the beholder...Yotsuba." He removed the ribbon from the hat and knocked the hat to the floor.

"Fuutarou-Kun." Tears threatened to fall from Yotsuba's eyes. Her face turned red and she sheltered it between her hands. Fuutarou began tying the ribbon into her hair.

"You look better with this." He said. "Thank you, Yotsuba, for everything you've done for me. I know I can't move forward with Itsuki without first acknowledging your efforts and your sacrifices. But you don't have to any more."

"But it's my fault." Yotsuba cried. "It's my fault we had to transfer. It's my fault grandpa worries about us."

"Your grandfather loves you all." Fuutarou said. "The five of you is all he has left to love. He obviously saw through all your buried emotions, more than I ever could. But you know what he told me? He told me, to help you be yourself." He finished tying the ribbon into Yotsuba's hair.

"Uesugi-San." Yotsuba smiled, and this time it wasn't a fake smile. "Thank you for everything too."

"Did I pass, Itsuki?" He turned to face the final Rena. Itsuki removed her hat and stepped forward.

"You purposely saved me for last. No, you purposely went in our birth order. Why?" Itsuki asked.

"There's things I wanted to say to all of you." Fuutarou said.

"But if you love all of us?"

"There's different levels of love." Fuutarou said. "I love every hellish day with you girls. I love how Ichika always works towards her dreams. I love how much Nino loves her family. I love how much passion Miku for her interests. I love how helpful Yotsuba is, even at the cost of her own happiness. And I love how diligent and serious you can be. All those same qualities are why I chose you. You, more than anyone here, pushed me to fulfill the promise I made to Yotsuba all those years ago."

"I believe you." Itsuki said.

"I love aspects of all of you, but you're the one I love in your entirety. Even the things that bug me, are just the things I see in myself, and that makes me love you even more." He leaned closer to her. She could almost smell his breath.

His words had disarmed her and his gaze tore through her defenses. So she let go and did what she wanted to do when he first confessed to her. She pulled him into a kiss. She felt all the same rush of sparks she felt when she stole a kiss from him before. But back then, those feelings were followed by guilt on behalf of her sisters. Now, those sparks were followed by fireworks, bringing all of them together.

**AN: Writing scenes with more than four characters never gets easier, no matter how many years you do it. The remainder of this fic will just be cutesy little moments with little to no conflict. Just wholesome stuff involving these characters.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I got the idea for this chapter last minute while actually brainstorming other ideas for this series. I kinda want a chapter where a different sister becomes a major supporter. Like, last chapter put a lot of emphasis on Yotsuba, this one will be Nino, etc and how each sister can contribute to Fuutarou's relationship.**

Chapter 3: Itsuki's Dish

Fuutarou had wondered why Nino of all people had called him over to their apartment. More curious was the fact that she did so while Itsuki was out of the house. When Fuutarou walked into the Nakano home, he was greeted by an eager looking Nino wearing an apron.

"Is this really necessary?" Fuutarou asked as Nino began teaching him about cooking.

"Look, I'm not saying Itsuki is a bad cook, I'm just saying she'd rather have people cook for her." Nino reasoned. "And if you're going to be taking care of her, you have to know what you're in for."

"Hmm." Fuutarou smiled. "I guess since you're the one who always had that role, you'd be the best to teach me."

"Well…" Nino blushed. "I always loved cooking. Miku's gotten a lot better lately. But the rest, Yotsuba can't follow a recipe to save her life, Ichika just orders take out and Itsuki has no sense for how big a proper meal should be."

"Now it does sound like you're saying she's a bad cook." Fuutarou said.

"Do you want her to make enough food for the two of you, or for eight people?" Nino asked.

Fuutarou quickly did the math in his head. Food was expensive and he had always tried to eat light. It's one of the biggest reasons why he was so scrawny and out of shape. Itsuki on the other hand had an appetite big enough for three people. Though, Fuutarou wouldn't dare bring that up now. The fifth sister worked out nearly as much as Yotsuba to keep the extra weight off. But they all suspected she was still slightly bigger than any of her sisters.

"I see, then for purely economic reasons I will cook as much as I can!" Fuutarou cheered.

"That's the genius Fuu-Kun we all know and love!" Nino cheered.

One way Fuutarou had impacted all of them, was that they were all much more proud of their interests. Nino always loved cooking, and ever since she started developing feelings for their tutor, she had started to enjoy cooking more. She enjoyed it so much, that she shared her passion with her sisters, and made strives to teach them how to cook. Though, only Miku had really picked up on the nuances of the culinary art. But that's just Miku and the way her own passions manifested.

"I see..." Fuutarou said while he spun the stir fry around. "Cooking for someone you love, it requires a lot of effort. And it's those efforts that reach their heart more than the food itself."

"Save the sentimentalities for when Itsuki gets back." Nino said as she blushed.

"Nino, are you really okay?" Fuutarou stopped to ask.

"Yeah." She smiled. "Because you're with Itsuki, you'll never leave us. I admit, I wanted you for myself, but what I really want, is for our family to grow again, instead of just losing people."

"Uesugi-San!" Yotsuba shouted as she burst through the door. She ran up to Fuutarou and held up a paper. "We did it!" The letter was from a college. She and Itsuki had both been accepted by their college.

"Congratulations." Fuutarou patted Yotsuba's head as Itsuki walked in the door. Yotsuba was happy beyond belief and Itsuki just seemed content. They had both been stressed about their college admissions. Itsuki wanted to be a teacher and Yotsuba had decided she wanted to be a vet.

"Uesugi-Kun." Itsuki got his attention. The smile she gave him made his heart skip several beats. "Is dinner almost done?"

"It'll be done in a few minutes." Fuutarou said.

"But I'm hungry now!" Itsuki whined. "All this stressing just makes me even hungrier."

"Come on Itsuki." Yotsuba said as she moved away from Fuutarou. "Let's set the table. Are Miku and Ichika going to make it?"

"Miku's working late today and Ichika is going to be out of town for a few days." Nino said. Earlier that day, Ichika left to do a movie shoot out in the country.

"Oh, right." Yotsuba beamed.

"Uesugi-Kun." Itsuki slowly stepped towards her boyfriend. Right, the two were dating now. That was a weird thought that just made her even more bashful. Her face was as red as her hair and it tempted Fuutarou to drop what he was doing and embrace her while peppering her with kisses. But, cooler, more serious heads prevailed. "Thanks for coming over."

"I knew you'd pass. And this is something I've wanted to do for you for a while now." Fuutarou stated calmly.

"You should be thanking me too." Nino said. "It's not easy cooking for you...meatbun monster."

"M...meatbun?" Itsuki's face widened up in a different flavor of embarrassment.

"The stir fry is done." Fuutarou sighed in relief. Itsuki beamed as she slid over to the table and grabbed her fork and knife.

Fuutarou was sure he made enough for everyone. Though, Itsuki was always a wild card when it came to meals. She was perfectly capable of not eating too much. But she was also perfectly capable of abusing Fuutarou's desire to spoil her.

Itsuki ate her serving with gusto. Nino and Yotsuba were positively normal when it came to eating. Fuutarou on the other hand, he spent as much time studying Itsuki as much as he did eating.

"Hmm?" Itsuki caught his glance and he averted her gaze. "Do I have something on my face?" She took a napkin and wiped her cheeks. There was a small dab of sauce on her lips that Fuutarou noticed. A thought crossed his mind, and he resisted the impulse for a few seconds, but when he saw her moving to wipe her lips he lunged forward. The kiss was quick and it took a moment for Itsuki to realize what had happened.

"Can you please control yourself?" Nino pouted.

"Uesugi-Kun!" Itsuki finally reacted. "That's...not proper!" Her whole body clenched up again.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"Come on Itsuki, I've done worse." Yotsuba laughed. "At least you two are actually dating."

"Uh...I guess stuff like this was unavoidable." Nino said.

"No, it was avoidable if people had more self-control." Itsuki said as she wiped her face.

"Pot calling the kettle black." Nino said under her breath.

"Not that I was opposed to it." Itsuki blushed as she covered her face and looked at Fuutarou. He responded by covering his own mouth in embarrassment. "There's just an order to things. I would have definitely kissed you afterwards ...Fuu-Kun."

"Fufu." Fuutarou chuckled. It was the first time he had heard that particular nickname come from Itsuki's mouth. And bold move using it in front of Nino. "You're so cute sometimes." He put a hand on her head.

"Sometimes?" Itsuki's word shot Fuutarou in the chest with a cupid arrow.

"You're always cute, just sometimes you're even cuter." Fuutarou wasn't really in a hole but he dug himself out regardless. Itsuki finished up her meal and set her utensils down.

"I'm full." Itsuki said.

"Are you sure?" Fuutarou blinked. "I could always make more."

"No need." Itsuki said. "I don't want you distracted with cooking the entire time you're here. But are you sure you've had enough?"

"Never had a rich taste or a big appetite." Fuutarou said.

"I thought the same thing when I was young. But I guess, when Papa started taking care of us, he was worried we'd become malnourished. I didn't want to be rude so I always ate what was in front of me. Mama always said not to waste food. I guess that's where my appetite comes from." She stood up and started collecting dishes.

"I see." Fuutarou stood to help her.

"Oh look at me, talking about myself and my past." Itsuki said.

"It's okay." Fuutarou grabbed her hands. "I want to know everything about you. I want to know everything about your tastes and where they come from."

"There'll be plenty of time for that." Itsuki said as she looked down at his chest and feet and anything to keep from looking him straight in the eyes. He put his hands on her shoulders and all her nervousness melted away. There was no longer Nino or Yotsuba that she had to maintain her image around. Just Fuutarou, the first person in her life to truly make strives to understand her. She melted into his grasp.

"What did I do to get someone like you to like me?" Fuutarou asked.

"You know what you did." Itsuki smiled into his chest. Fuutarou still smelled like the kitchen, but for Itsuki it was a pleasant smell.

**AN: Yeah, I also just wanted to do something involving Itsuki's defining trait, the Eatsuki memes, before I move onto other After the Confession stories. I'll be back with this when I feel like it, but I have ideas for the other quints and I want to get them down before I get too far into this.**


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